Sands of Time
by SandietheMafioso
Summary: Zima and Dita fic. Hideki dies and Zima and Dita go on the run from the law. Spoilers. Disclaimer: All characters, concepts belong to Clamp except for the ones that you don't recognize which belong to me, baby, me. COMPLETE
1. 1 Funeral

The sky looked like rain the day of the funeral. A strong, cold breeze ruffled the hair and clothing of the mourners. The pastor spoke as they all looked solemnly at the casket.

The man under the glass cover looked much like he had in life- tall, broad shouldered, black hair shot with silver, in his fifties. There was no outward evidence of the disease that had killed him.

A group of seven gathered slightly closer to the coffin than the rest of the crowd. A man and a women, both brunettes at the end of middle age, held each other close, smothering tears. Another man, appearing roughly a decade younger. He dabbed at his bespectacled eyes as his companion comforted him. She was a woman in her mid twenties who looked very much like the man, save for her bright blue hair. A woman with long hair that had once been dark but was now mostly silver stood with her arms wrapped around herself, tears silently flowing down her face.

The two remaining women in the group were easy to categorize. The one to the left, a petit woman in a black pea coat, was bawling freely, obviously the bereaved widow. The other appeared at first to be a normal teenaged girl, though and extraordinarily attractive one. She was short and slim, and her silver hair trailed down to her ankles. She wasn't crying, but her large amber eyes betrayed her pain. Clearly the daughter of the deceased. A second look would reveal pink and white earports on the side of her head- a persecom. Not so unusual, anymore. People took their persecoms everywhere, a funeral was no stretch. It was becoming less and less strange for a barren couple to adopt one, even. To the casual onlooker, these two would appear to be wife and child.

But if the casual onlooker assumed as such, they would be wrong.

After the coffin was lowered into the ground and the people dispersed, the seven gathered close together.

"My house, then?" asked the man with the glasses.

The silver haired woman nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Minoru."

"Anytime. Let's get going then?"

They dispersed to separate cars. The silver haired women got into the driver's seat of one, and the persecom got into the passenger seat. Rain had started to fall. They drove in silence for a few minutes before the persecom spoke.

"Chitose?"

"What is it, Chi?"

"Was it like this when Ichiro died?"

Silence again. "It was and it wasn't," Chitose said at last.

"What do you mean?"

Chitose sighed. "It's hard to explain. Both of them had so much more living to do. They didn't go quietly. I'm sure some people die peacefully, all their affairs in order, little left to tie them to this world. But not our men. Neither of them wanted to leave the women they loved. Neither of them wanted to leave you."

Chi raised a delicate eyebrow. "Ichiro didn't want to leave me? Hadn't I already- left- at that point?"

"Yes, but he had always hoped he would live to see you happy, even if it was from afar. He wanted to walk his girls down the aisle."

"Mr. Ueda did fine," Chi said with a sense of finality.

"Hideki worried that you wouldn't be happy without him. That no one else would understand you like he did."

"I hope he wasn't right."


	2. 2 Visit

A/N: Here's a second chapter. Sorry it's so short, they will beef up considerably later on. And there will be a plot, soon. This is the part that Doug and Fallac read a little of. They both told me not to kill myself.  
  
The call that pulled up to the cemetery was extremely conspicuous. Big, black, new, expensive. The car pulled up in front of Hideki Motsuwa's three day old grave. Two figures got out. One was male, the other female. Both wore long black trench coats covered in buckles. They both had black hair, short for their respective genders, and a long rattail. The man was tall, but moved with an obvious grace. The woman was small but had an athletic body. They were both beautiful, though not surprisingly so in a world of cosmetic surgery and persecoms.  
  
They approached the grave. The man crouched at it's foot. "So young."  
  
"We're only seventy, Zima," the woman said. They both looked about twenty five. "Not that much older than him."  
  
"We will be, though," Zima said.  
  
"I would have liked to have come to the funeral."  
  
"We'll have to come back and see what they put on the stone."  
  
"Devoted son, loving husband, et cetera- doesn't seem right for him, does it?"  
  
Zima stood up. "What would you suggest?"  
  
She thought for a moment. "I died with you, you live on in me."  
  
Zima chuckled. "Dita darling, you've gone sentimental on me," he accused, wrapping an arm around her waist."  
  
"Never." She wriggled out of his hold.  
  
"That's my girl. May your glass always be half empty."  
  
"Cheers to that."  
  
"Think we should pay a visit to the grieving widow?"  
  
"No, we have to go to that meeting."  
  
"Ah yes. Time to go consult to the mighty and see what they have planned for us. Maybe we'll get another trip to somewhere nice."  
  
"That would be good, but I think they probably just want us to run maintenance checks. Get in the car, I'm driving." 


	3. 3 Plan

A/N: Here we are again. Getting a little longer this time- and now inklings of a plot, hooray! Thank you Hannah, for your extremely kind review. You're not Hannah of the Merchant variety are you? Just guessing, Chobits fan and all. I plan to write much more as soon as school settles down, which will be very soon. Yay fourth term!  
  
***** means passage of time  
  
Dita and Zima parked the car in the back lot of the building, and went through the back door. The building was about as conspicuous as their car. Government research facilities tend to be. The security was some of the best known to man, but as government persecoms, the pair could walk right through it. They passed through the wide, bustling hallways, occasionally getting a sidelong stare of admiration or fear from the younger technicians there. Dita and Zima had become things of legend.  
  
Things of legend, thought Dita, rolling the phrase around in her mind. Always things of legend, never beings of legend. She was almost surprised at herself for thinking these thoughts- this was the kind of thing that plagued Zima, not her.  
  
There was no time to think it over further. They had stopped in front of the room they'd been told to visit. Zima pressed his thumb into the plate next to the door. His artificial print was scanned, and he stepped aside and let Dita do the same. It recognized her as well. The door handle gave under her push, and they were admitted into the room.  
  
The room was white and sterile. Computers lined the walls, and complex looking machinery was everywhere. Three white formica topped counters were at the center of the room. Leaning on one of them was Tani Yasahiro, Dita and Zima's primary technician. Her mentor, now dead, had created the persecoms with Ichiro Hibiya's technology. She was like Hibiya in the respect that she saw persecoms as people  
  
"Dita, Zima. On time, as usual," Tani said with a nervous smile. Tani nervous wasn't too unusual. She was a very emotional person. "How was your- where were you again?"  
  
"Visiting some friends," Zima said.  
  
"Where?" Tani asked.  
  
Dita didn't understand why Tani had started this conversational vein, but she was eager to pull out of it. "Why did you ask us here?"  
  
"Well, um," Tani stumbled. "It wasn't really my choice, you see. None of this was. But you know, when the Powers That Be say something should go one way, then it goes that way. I really didn't want to do this-"  
  
"Tani," Zima cut in sternly. "Just tell us."  
  
Tani took in a deep breath. "Zima, my superiors want to move the data base into a more advanced persecom. You're being shut down."  
  
There was a moment of disbelieving silence. Finally, Dita realized she had to say something. "What!? You have got to be kidding me!"  
  
"No joke," Tani said. "We're still going to keep you, Dita. You'll still be the defense system for the new data base. It's just Zima they're putting down." Tears sprang to the corners of her eyes. "I'm so sorry, guys. You've both been so good to me, I fought it like hell, I tried so hard."  
  
"Not hard enough, aparently!" Dita snapped. "Why can't they just create the new 'com and leave Zima functional?"  
  
"He's too much of a danger. In the wrong hands, well, think about it, you two are just about the most powerful 'coms in existence! And there's no way to eliminate the files without affecting his personality," Tani said. Her eyes grew a little wet. "I really didn't want to do this."  
  
Zima looked thoughtful. "You might not have to."  
  
Tani was shocked. "What? What are you talking about?" When she got no answer, she looked at Dita. "What is he talking about?"  
  
Dita shrugged. "I could take a guess, but it would probably be wrong. Zima? Care to let us in on this?"  
  
"I've got it," Zima said, snapping out of his trance. "It'll work, I'm sure of it. Tani, you've heard of Minoru Kokubunji?"  
  
"Who hasn't, why?"  
  
"Well, let's just say that in the event of an emergency I think we could call in a favor with him. Seeing as this is just such an event, why not? He could get rid of my tracing equiptment, as well as Dita's-" Zima glanced over at her as if for permission, she nodded. "- and we could lie low, get to somewhere safe."  
  
Tani bit her lip. "Are you sure? Even I don't know how to disable all the tracers."  
  
Zima laughed. "You obviously don't know Kokubunji very well."  
  
"Wait," Dita said. "How do we keep Tani from being blamed for any of this? I wouldn't want you to suffer on our account."  
  
A smile crept across Tani's face. "I think I have an idea," she said, and explained her plan to them.  
  
Zima smiled when she was done. "You'd do that for us?"  
  
Tani laughed nervously. "Anything. Absolutely anything for you guys."  
  
*****  
  
When Tani was late for the meeting, three other technicians went looking for her.  
  
"Guys! I found her over here, in the cabinet!" The other two rushed over.  
  
"Oh my god- what happened?"  
  
"Get her untied, then let her explain."  
  
It didn't even take that long. As soon as the duct tape was torn off her mouth, Tani began to talk. "It was Dita and Zima! Something must have malfunctioned in their programming. They wrestled me to the floor, tied me up and stuck me here! I don't know where they went!" 


	4. 4 Re Enter, Minoru

Sorry for the delay, I have been extremely busy and I'm not the most motivated person in the world, heh. But I took a look at all those great reviews and I had to keep writing. What with summer and not having a life, I'm sure more stuff will get posted sooner or later.  
  
The doorbell woke Minoru, who realized he had fallen asleep at his desk. He checked his watch and groaned- it was one in the morning. Who would show up so late?  
  
In fact, the question stirred his curiosity enough for him to get up and head down the stairs. Minoru was in no hurry; he knew that one of his persecoms would answer it. He wanted to know what errand would send someone to his door at that hour, and he wanted to know what kind of person would be on such an errand. Minoru had never lived a quiet life; he felt that nothing would surprise him.  
  
But he was surprised when he saw two figures in black trench coats standing in his front foyer talking to Yuzuki. Minoru was sure he had never seen them before, but something about their appearance jogged his memory…  
  
Attractive, dark hair cut short but for the rattail, dark sunglasses, trench coats… then it hit him. This pair exactly matched Hideki's description of the two government persecoms who had been after Chi over thirty years ago! Don't jump to conclusions, Minoru told himself. There's nothing to say these two are even persecoms.  
  
At that moment, the man looked up. "Mr. Kokubunji. I'm sorry, have we woken you?"  
  
"In a manner of speaking," Minoru replied.  
  
"Did you fall asleep at your desk again?" Yuzuki scolded. "You've been working too late these days. You need to get some sleep!"  
  
"Not now, Yuzuki," Minoru said. "We have guests."  
  
"We are terribly sorry to disturb you," the man said. "I'm Zima, and this is Dita. We're government persecoms-"  
  
"Ex- government persecoms, actually," his partner cut in.  
  
"And we need your help."  
  
So I was right, Minoru thought. Why should I help them? What have they done for me? One of them hacked Yuzuki, even though that was a long time ago. Ex- government persecoms… this could be dangerous.  
  
You never know, another side of him argued. At least let them say their piece.  
  
The second voice won out. "Help, eh? What with?"  
  
Minoru stood and listened as Zima and Dita told their story. At the end, he asked only one question. "This technician, the one who helped you. Her name wasn't, perchance, Yasahiro?"  
  
"It was," Dita answered. "Know her?"  
  
"Went to school with her. We've fallen out of touch, but I know Tani is a good enough actress to buy us some time. I'll show you two into my workroom, we can start right away. Yuzuki, would you mind making me some tea?"  
  
"Not at all," she answered.  
  
Minoru nodded. "Thank you. If you two would just follow me…"  
  
Minoru, Dita, and Zima headed down a corridor to Minoru's workroom, and Yuzuki went to make some tea, muttering about how Minoru should really be getting more sleep. 


	5. 5 A New Take on the Past

A/N Here we are again. I've decided I'm going to try to update roughly once every two weeks. So look for this every other Tuesday, and there should be a new chapter. Enjoy!  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Kokubunji-" Zima began.  
  
"Please," he waved the name off. "Minoru."  
  
"Then thank you, Minoru, for everything you've done for us. Thank you as well, Yuzuki." Zima, Dita, Minoru, and Yuzuki were again standing in the foyer. "We'll be on our way now."  
  
Although Minoru moved to protest, Yuzuki was quicker. "Wait! You won't stay here, at least for a little while?"  
  
"Zima answered, "We could not possibly infringe further. We are technically fugitives, and staying here might endanger you."  
  
Minoru continued to lean on the doorframe in silence; he let Yuzuki go through her mother duck routine. "Do you have a car?" she asked.  
  
Zima shook his head. "The one we had was government issue; it would have been too easy to recognize. We don't need a car."  
  
"Do you have a place to go, at least?" Yuzuki asked.  
  
"No," Zima said. "We'll figure something out."  
  
"Wait," Minoru cut in. "Stay for a minute, I have an idea."  
  
Minoru went into the kitchen and picked a notebook up off the table. He scribbled a quick note on one page and an address on a second one. He tore both pages out of the book and went back into the foyer.  
  
He handed the papers to Zima. "That's the address of a friend of mine who will take you in. Her name is Kameko Naito. You can hide there for as long as you want. Just give her that note, she'll know I sent you and she'll let you in."  
  
"Thank you," Dita said, speaking at last. "This means a lot to us. We won't forget it." She turned to Zima. "Should we get going?"  
  
He nodded. "Yes. Minoru, Yuzuki-" he shook hands with both of them. "Until next time."  
  
Yuzuki held open the door. She and Minoru stood there watching as Zima and Dita made their way down the drive, until they turned a corner and disappeared.  
  
Chi sat in her window seat and stared out at the rain. The street was empty of pedestrians; the thin traffic was the only movement below.  
  
The house, Chi's and Hideki's, was in a peaceful section of the city. They were happy there, close to all their friends. Hideki's office was a short drive away, as was Chi's shop. The house was small, but there had only been the two of them.  
  
Now it was different. Empty and silent, the house felt cavernous. Chi welcomed the rain, because it broke up the quiet. I should get a cat, or something, she thought. But if I get a cat, then after a few years, it will die. And I'll be alone again.  
  
Hideki has been dead for two weeks. I have to do this… forever. It was true. She was an extremely resilient model; many decades would go by before she was no longer functional. Hideki was gone, and she would certainly "outlive" all her other friends.  
  
That's not entirely true, Chi thought. She would always have Yuzuki and Kotoko. That's something.  
  
The doorbell pulled Chi from her thoughts. She stood up and straightened her skirt. It was probably Chitose or Yumi, they had come over a lot since Hideki had gotten sick.  
  
Given these expectations, Chi was more than a little surprised when she opened the door and saw Zima and Dita. She was so surprised, in fact, that she was unable to speak.  
  
"Good evening, Mrs. Motsuwa," Zima said, his voice unreadable.  
  
Chi stared at him, dumbstruck. She blinked a few times; they remained standing on her doorstep. Denial was apparently not an option. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Zima smiled. "We were in the area, and we thought we'd drop in."  
  
Dita glared at him before turning to Chi. "We apologize, Mrs. Motsuwa, I know this seems strange. We can explain."  
  
"You might want to start," Chi's tone uncharacteristically sarcastic.  
  
"If we could come in for a moment-" Zima began.  
  
"Excuse me?" Chi said. "Are you two serious?"  
  
Zima shrugged. "I am, but if you don't believe me, Dita certainly is. She's not programmed to be much otherwise."  
  
Chi shook her head. "I don't believe this. You two tried to destroy me, and now you're asking to be invited into my home? What did you think, I'd forgotten? I'm a computer. I don't forget."  
  
"Chi." Zima dropped his courteous formality. "That was not something either of us did by choice. I shut Dita down for a time to prevent her from hurting you. We didn't have another choice, and I did everything in my power to help you. You have to trust us."  
  
Chi raised her chin and looked him in the eye. "I don't."  
  
Zima sighed. He reached up a gloved hand and flicked open one of his earports. He extracted a cable and offered it to Chi. "This is all I've got," he said.  
  
Chi accepted the cable and opened her own earport. She had her own software to fight against hackers. Minoru had installed it; she trusted the program. Chi attached the cable.  
  
Suddenly, Chi was flooded with pictures. Zima's memories flashed through her own mind. She was standing next to Dita in the room that Tani now worked in; and she and Dita appeared to be connected to the desktop computer. Zima was nowhere in sight. Chi watched Dita downloading the orders to track herself and Freya down and disable them. They do have a point in that- we could have done a lot of damage. We didn't know that, and everything worked out in the end. Chi didn't have much time to think, the memory was changing. She was on a rooftop, standing next to Dita- looking down on Dita, who was normally about her own height. This is Zima's memory, I suppose. She felt the weight of his sunglasses on her nose. Looking down off of the rooftop, Chi saw… herself.  
  
Now she recognized the memory. There she was, floating a few feet off the ground, next to Hideki. Not Hideki as she had last seen him, but Hideki alive and nineteen years old again. Seeing him brought on a flood of emotion, improbably but real.  
  
"You know what's happening, don't you?!" Chi was shocked out of her own thoughts at Dita's voice and realized the other persecom was looking at her. Chi felt her lips move, and heard Zima's voice.  
  
"Yes. I am the nation data bank, after all. But it's being stopped for now… by her."  
  
"You're going to leave this up to her instead of me?" Dita said.  
  
Used to Zima's memory by now, Chi was not surprised when her (his?) body moved behind Dita and placed its hands on Dita's shoulders.  
  
"Now, now. No need to lose your temper."  
  
"I'm a persecom!" Dita said. "I don't have a temper!"  
  
Zima/Chi leaned down his head to brush his lips against Dita's neck. "Trust me, Dita, love-- you have one hell of a temper." Dita remained tense under his caresses. "Even if your programming doesn't recognize it as such."  
  
Dita looked up at Zima/Chi a questioning look on her face. "By the way…" Zima said, "I wasn't giving her priority over you."  
  
Dita's brow wrinkled. "Then… why…?"  
  
"Shhh… just wait for his answer."  
  
Zima/Chi watched the scene below. The memory might as well have been Chi's own. She heard her own small voice floating up to the rooftop. "Who is Hideki's special someone?"  
  
His halting voice… "My… special person is…"  
  
The long moments of indecision…  
  
The water main exploding, the blackout, the dull booming sound that came from persecoms all across the city…  
  
Dita jerked forward. "What was that?"  
  
"Oh my…" Zima/Chi said, "things are getting messy, aren't they?"  
  
"She's behind it all, isn't she?" Dita accused.  
  
"Mmm… you could say that."  
  
Dita started forward as though to jump off the roof towards Hideki and Chi. She didn't get very far. "Not so fast, love." In one effortless motion, Zima/Chi grabbed Dita from behind.  
  
"Let me go!" Dita struggled, but Zima/Chi held fast. "Wha- what are you doing?" Dita demanded as Zima opened her earport and shut her down. At last, Dita's body relaxed.  
  
"Sorry," Zima/Chi said, sliding a pair of sunglasses onto Dita's face. "I hate to do this, but we can't interfere this time. That's girl's decision will affect us all… and there's no going back."  
  
The memory ended. Chi was back in her own body again, standing on her threshold, Zima and Dita on her porch, rain still falling outside.  
  
Chi disconnected the cable and returned it to Zima.  
  
"So," he said, "you've seen my side of it. I don't know if you'll chose to believe us, but-"  
  
"I could tell the file was genuine. Chi said softly. "Come in." Zima and Dita glanced at each other. "Come on now," Chi motioned them inside without much enthusiasm. "no need to stand out in the rain."  
  
They followed Chi into the kitchen, where she offered them seats. Zima and Dita looked at each other again, worried. What had caused Chi's sudden change of mood? A few minutes ago she had been angry, now she seemed listless, almost depressed. Chi sat down with a barely audible sigh. "What is this about? I'm assuming you haven't come just to make conversation?" Chi didn't look at them, she stared at her hands, twisting her wedding ring.  
  
Then it hit Zima. "Chi, I'm so sorry," he said.  
  
"What's going on?" Dita hadn't realized it yet.  
  
Zima pursed his lips.. "The file. Motsuwa was in it."  
  
"Oh, right." Dita looked at Chi.  
  
Zima continued. "I'm sorry, that was foolish. I should have known seeing him would be hard for you to handle."  
  
"Oh, it's not a problem," Chi said, her expression betraying that it was indeed a problem.  
  
"Chi, look at me." Zima's command was impossible to ignore. Chi's head snapped up and she held his gaze. "I had forgotten. I'm sorry."  
  
"It's been… it's been very… very hard. It's been very hard since he got sick," Chi said haltingly. "Harder since he died. And now… I'm alone." Chi bit her lip and looked away.  
  
Zima, in an effort to comfort her, reached out his hand and placed it over Chi's. Dita internally bristled with jealousy. "We're sorry we came at a bad time," she said. "We can leave."  
  
Chi and Zima both drew back their hands. "No, please," Chi said. "You can stay. It's fine. Why are you here?"  
  
"That's kind of a long story." Zima wrinkled his nose. "Comfortable?"  
  
Zima and Dita told Chi everything. The address Minoru had given them was still a few days away on foot, even for a pair of persecoms. They suspected they were being followed, and asked if they could stay with Chi for the night.  
  
When they finished, Chi paused. Dita was nervous; she hadn't wanted to do this, but knew that the were at risk if they stayed on the streets any longer. Chi Motsuwa was their only contact in the area. If she decided to turn them in, they were done for.  
  
"That's ridiculous. You don't actually think I would do that?" Chi said. Dita and Zima looked at each other, not sure what to do. Chi wasn't willing to help them; it was all over…  
  
Chi stood up and grabbed her car keys off the counter. She looked at Dita and Zima as though wondering why they were still sitting. "Come on, let's get in the car. I'm driving you there, it'll only take about an hour."  
  
So that's it. Drop me a review if you are so inclined. Next time- new characters! Wheee! 


	6. 6 New Places

A/N- All right, so here we are again. Thanks so much for my reviews, they put a smile on my face and a skip in step. Since there seems to have been some confusion, Chi is driving Zima and Dita to the address Minoru gave them. Less chance of getting spotted that way, I supposed. I don't know about the length of the chapters, short and fast paced is just how I'm feeling this particular story. Don't worry, I'll try to write more chapters to make up for how short they are. On to Chapter 6-  
  
Chi pulled into the driveway. "Here it is."  
  
"Thank you," Zima said. "You've done us a great service, at a risk to yourself."  
  
Chi shook her head. "Please. I appreciate it, but just get out of the car before anyone sees you."  
  
Zima looked as though he wanted to say more, but her just nodded and got out of the car. Dita did the same. Chi drove away into the night as they approached the door.  
  
Zima rang the doorbell, note in hand.  
  
"I've got it!" yelled a voice from inside. A moment later, a woman opened the door. She was small, not much taller than Dita. There were several streaks of purple in her dark brown, shoulder length hair. Dita guessed her to be about forty, but she had certainly taken care of her body. Her tight tank top and shorts showed off smooth, hard muscles. "Hello?" she said, knitting her eyebrows together in an attempt to recognize them.  
  
"Miss Naito, I presume?" Dita said. Zima had done all the talking since they'd escaped a week ago.  
  
"Mm- hm," Kameko Naito affirmed. "That doesn't tell me who you are."  
  
"Minoru sent us. Give her the note."  
  
Zima handed over the note, and the woman took it. "Minoru? Is he all right?"  
  
"He's doing well, Miss Naito. A friend of his just died, but he has been handling it well."  
  
"Right… Motsuwa. I remember now." She tore open the note and read it. As her eyes traveled down the paper, her expression became more and more disbelieving. Dita watched as she read it a second and third time. The note explained their story, what Minoru had done for them, and their need for a place to stay. At last, Kameko looked up. "Is he joking? What's going on here."  
  
"No joke, Miss Naito," Dita said. She remembered how Zima had convinced Chi of their good intentions. "We can prove it to you. Do you have a persecom?"  
  
"Yes." Kameko turned and yelled into the house. "Marie? Come here for a minute, please!"  
  
"What is it?" a female voice came from inside the house. In a moment, a persecom was standing next to Kameko. She was designed to look about eighteen years of age, with long, wavy, dirty blonde hair. Dita gave her a once over, she looked like a newer model, five years old or so. "What's going on, Kameko?"  
  
"Here- read." Kameko gave Minoru's note to the persecom.  
  
She read it once, then looked up at Dita and Zima. "Is this real?"  
  
"That's up to you." Zima extracted the cable from his earport. The persecom understood. She opened her own earport, which looked exactly like a human ear to the untrained eye, and hooked up the cable. Dita watched as her and Zima's eyes glazed over like Chi's had earlier that day. The entire process took about five minutes. Dita stood and watched stoically; Kameko shifted nervously from foot to foot.  
  
When it was over, Kameko's persecom took out the cable and handed it back to Zima. She turned to Kameko and nodded slowly. "The letter is genuine. We can trust them."  
  
Kameko hesitated. Dita stiffened. "If it's a problem, we can just go somewhere else."  
  
"No," Kameko said. "Come in. Minoru is an old friend of mine, I owe him this." With that, she and her persecom stepped aside and let them in, closing the door. The two of them walked towards another room. Dita and Zima followed.  
  
The room was a large kitchen. There was no table, but an island surrounded by tall stools at the center. The four of them took seats here.  
  
"So which one of you is which?" Kameko asked.  
  
"I'm Dita, and this is Zima."  
  
"All right. No need to be formal, you can just call me Kameko. This is Marie. I have a room for the two of you in the basement. How far are we from the people who are looking for you?"  
  
"About two hundred miles," Zima said. "but that doesn't make much difference. They'll look wherever they get word of a sighting."  
  
"We'll have to do something about the way you look then," Marie said. "Forgive me, but you have a rather distinctive look."  
  
"Good point. It's getting rather late," he commented.  
  
Kameko checked her watch. "You're right. I've got an early morning tomorrow, and I need some sleep. Why don't we show you your room, and we'll talk more tomorrow?"  
  
Dita and Zima followed Kameko and Marie to their basement, half of which had been finished into a small bedroom. The walls were painted a dark cranberry, the hardwood floor was covered with a Persian rug of similar coloring. There was a small window with off white curtains at the top of one wall. The double bed had burgundy sheets, pillows, and blankets and a cream colored comforter. On one side of the bed was a small mahogany bookcase that doubled as a night table, and on the other side was a floor lamp. On top of the bookcase where a few knick knacks and a porcelin vase filled with silk flowers. There was an open closet in one wall, and a painting on the other.  
  
"Well, here it is," Kameko said. "I decorated this myself, I thought we could use it as a guest room…" She smiled. "But I guess it's come to something a little bit more important, hm? See you in the morning." With that, she left.  
  
"Good night," Marie said.  
  
"Same to you," Dita responded, and Zima nodded. Marie left them alone in the room, closing the door behind her.  
  
Zima walked over to the bed and stretched out on it. "Well, this has been quite the day, hasn't it?" he said.  
  
Dita got onto the bed and curled up next to him. "That's the truth. Zima?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"She said she 'thought we could use it as a guest room.' I'm assuming she meant the persecom?"  
  
"Hm. That is interesting, now that you bring it up. But I'm not surprised. Minoru is much like Motsuwa was. He believes persecoms have the same basic rights humans do. I didn't expect him to send us to someone who thought anything less."  
  
"That's good. 'night."  
  
"Good night, love."  
  
Dita slowly slipped into shut down.  
  
Zima and Dita both 'woke up' at the same time the next morning. They didn't really need 'sleep,' per se, but they had to shut down to recharge or risk wear on their systems.  
  
"Good morning," Zima said, kissing Dita's forehead.  
  
"Good morning. Think Kameko left yet?"  
  
"Let's go see."  
  
They got out of bed and headed upstairs. Kameko was sitting at the island, drinking a cup of tea. Marie was standing at the counter with her back to them. Kameko looked up when they entered.  
  
"'morning, you two," she said as Marie put a plate of eggs down in front of her.  
  
"'morning," Marie echoed with a smile.  
  
"Sleep well?" Zima asked, sitting down. Dita noticed his complete ease with a little jealousy at hopped up on the stool beside him.  
  
"Would have liked it to have been longer," Kameko said. It was only seven in the morning, and barely light outside. "I have a meeting with my publisher, and it's a pretty rough drive, especially with the traffic. I'm sorry I have to leave, but I'm sure Marie will find you something to do."  
  
"Thank you," Dita said. "I don't know if we expressed it clearly enough last night, but we are very grateful for you letting us stay here. I don't know how long it will be for, but-"  
  
"As long as you need," Kameko seemed slightly confused. "but from Minoru's letter, I got the idea that this was going to be permanent." She checked her watch again. "I have to run. I'll be back around eight, I'll pick some food up for myself on the way. You all have fun. Ciao." She grabbed a briefcase off the floor and headed for the door.  
  
Marie was doing the dishes. "Is there anything we could help you with?" Dita asked.  
  
"If you could grab her plate and glass and bring it over here, that would be great." Dita did so. "Thanks." Dita and Zima moved to lean against the counter while Marie worked on the dishes. "I have big plans for us today," she said. "I thought we could go shopping. You're going to be recognized in no time flat if you keep walking around in black trench coats. There's a good mall near here."  
  
Dita looked a Zima with one raised eyebrow. He shook his head. "Marie," Dita asked, "won't anyone think it's strange to see three persecoms walking around alone?"  
  
"Not at all. First off, it's pretty hard to tell that any of us are persecoms. And second, I do it all the time. As long as I don't bother anyone, they won't bother me. I have my own job, my own money- it's not that strange anymore. They don't care, as long as you've got one of these." She held up her left wrist. On it was what looked like a watch but was really and Electronic Currency Management System, or ECMS. They had become common over the last twenty years, eliminating the wearer's need for paper money or credit cards.  
  
"All right," Dita said. "If you say it's safe…"  
  
"It most certainly is," Marie assured them, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. "Shall we get going, then?"  
  
"Mmmmmph." Marie settled herself into one of the comfortable chairs of the bookstore's café. "That was quite a day. We've been here for three hours."  
  
Dita and Zima felt about the same. The two of them had acquired the beginnings of a new wardrobe. Marie had bought some clothes for herself, some art and office supplies, a couple of books, some jewelry, a few CD's, a hat, a pair of sunglasses, a giant decorative paper umbrella, and a dashboard hula dancer. Dita and Zima had had a little trouble keeping up, but they felt like they had gotten something accomplished. They knew their new housemate a little better now.  
  
"I should tell you," Marie said. "It's not usually just the two of us in the house. Kameko has a girlfriend, Allie, who's away for a couple of weeks."  
  
Dita and Zima looked at each other, engaging in about the ten thousandth moment of silent communication since all their troubles had began. Dita spoke, voice hushed. "Will it bother her that Kameko is harboring two fugitives in her basement? It doesn't seem to bother Kameko all that much, for some strange reason…"  
  
Marie blinked. Then she chuckled, surprised. "Minoru didn't tell you, did he? Why he sent you to Kameko?"  
  
"We were in kind of a rush," Zima said. "There wasn't much time for explanations."  
  
Marie smiled. "Kameko lived in the United States for twenty years… she was a member of a top secret branch of the CIA. Allie is still working there. They've dealt with stranger things than a couple of persecoms trying to escape permanent shutdown."  
  
Dita thought this over. She looked at Zima, there was a slightly distant look on his face. He's checking files to find out if it's true… he should have something on Kameko if she's a citizen, I don't know about this Allie character…"  
  
Zima looked at Dita and nodded. "It checks out. Some of my files were damaged when Minoru took out my tracking system, but this is intact."  
  
"So you two don't have to worry," Marie said. "You can stay with us as long as you like."  
  
Okay, I'm on vacation for two weeks now, so don't expect and update for a bit. I tried to make this chapter a little bit longer to keep everyone satisfied while I'm gone. I'll bring a notebook and work on it, I promise. I was actually going to write a little more to this chapter, but I need to deal with my little brother right now. He's being massively distracting and trying to steal my computer. Drop me a review if you've a minute to spare. 


	7. 7 Phases One and Two

A/N: Here's the latest chapter; I worked on it for about three weeks. It's taken me this long to post. That's sad, I know, but due to popular demand I'm trying to pump out some longer chapters. To remove any confusion, let me give a little aside about Kameko's life and career. She is a native of Japan, but her family moved to the US when she was very young. She became a citizen there, and as an adult she worked for the American CIA. That explains why she has an American girlfriend and a persecom with a Western name. When Kameko retired, she returned to Japan. She does some freelance writing, which is why she's always meeting with her publisher, agent, etc. Why she was able to retire so young is an issue I plan to address in this chapter…  
  
"You two look fabulous," Kameko gushed. "This is definitely a start." Dita looked down at herself. She was wearing a pair of khaki pants and a dark green blouse. Zima had on shorts and a tee shirt decorated with a surfing logo. "Only a start?" Dita asked, disguising the pleading in her voice.  
"You have different clothes," Kameko said. "Now you need new identities." Marie looked up from her book. "I take it you have a plan?" "Don't I always?" Kameko said, looking smug.  
  
"So this friend of yours," Zima said from the back seat, "he can be trusted?" "She," said Kameko, driving. Dita was sitting next to Zima; Marie was in the passenger seat. "And yes, she can be trusted. She's an old work contact, so she knows how too keep quiet." Kameko took them to a suburban housing development, pulling up to a large house. They got out of the car. Kameko rang the doorbell.  
The woman who answered was short and slightly thickset, though not unattractive. She wore glasses and had pale violet hair that fell to her shoulders. "Hello there," she said, smiling at Kameko and Marie. "This is a nice surprise." "I'm glad you think so," Kameko said. "Florence, I'd like you to meet a few friends of mine, Dita and Zima." "Dita and Zima?" the woman said. "The government database and firewall?" "What makes you think that?" Zima said.  
"Not as big a secret as you think," Florence said. "I'm an underground computer technician, we know about you." "Florence, remember that favor you owe me?" Kameko did not seem to want to waste any time.  
Now Florence started to look suspicious. "Why don't you come inside." Kameko explained their plight to Florence, leaving out any non-essential details such as Minoru's name and the location Zima and Dita had escaped from. Florence seemed less apprehensive the more she heard.  
"So you want a clean-sweep job?" she asked when Kameko had finished. "All non-essential files cleared, programming signatures changed, the works?" "Wait," Dita interrupted. "You can't delete Zima's files. He'll lose all his programming." Florence smiled. "If government workers cleared him, that would happen. I know things those hacks don't, and I'm willing to bend a few more rules. I can pull it off no problem." "I appreciate this, Florence," Kameko said. "How much are you asking?" "I'll do it free of charge. We're friends, Kameko, and it's no skin off my nose, honestly." "Unless we get caught." "In that case, I ask for your silence. That's payment enough." "Thank you." Florence looked at Kameko curiously for a moment. "Of course. Let's get started, shall we?"  
  
"What does it feel like?" Dita asked Zima when they were lying in bed that night. "Having everything gone like that?" "Strange." Zima sighed. "Very, very strange. It's as if there's a hole there, a void where it all used to be. I used to have the entire database there. Now I'm just like a regular persecom, albeit a powerful one. Still, I have Internet access and very little else. Also, I used to be connected to every other persecom in existence. There are billions, Dita. I could sense them all the time. Now I can't. The only one I'm still connected to is-" "Hibiya's creation, Chi? You and I were meant to keep tabs on the girl and her program, after all." "No, I can't feel her either." Zima touched his fingertips to his temple. "It's you, Dita. You were designed to protect me when I couldn't hold the firewall system." He smiled. "When you think of it that way, it's no wonder they hit Tani for an upgrade." Zima stroked Dita's hair. "Anyway, we were always connected. You're the only one I can still hear. Good night, love." "Good night." Dita couldn't help a jealous smile in the darkness.  
  
"Phase One was a complete success," Kameko said the next morning. "I'll be gone again today. Tonight, we initiate faze two." "Phase Two?" Dita asked, but Kameko just grinned and swept out the door.  
Zima turned to Marie. "What has she cooked up now?" "It's a secret," Marie said. "She'll be back around two. I have to work until one- I waitress part time. I told Kameko I'd take you along, but she said I'd better leave you here. I've gotta get going now, see you a little after one." Zima and Dita bid Marie farewell, and she left.  
"Zima," Dita said, placing a hand on his elbow.  
"What is it?" "I need you to see something. I found it online." She wrinkled her forehead for an instant. It was a mechanism that her creator had found amusing; he had programmed her to knit her brow when she was searching something. Tani's predecessor had thought it was cute; Zima found it irresistible. "Do you need a hook up or can you manage without one?" "I've got it," Zima assured her. He reached out towards Dita. Her mind was familiar and comforting, files that were now near identical to his. He entered her web connection. It was a Tokyo newspaper. The headline was MALFUCTIONING GOVERNMENT PERSECOMS MISSING. The article told the story of Zima and Dita's escape, giving their names, descriptions, and various other information. There was contact in formation at the end of the article, and it offered a high reward to their capture and return. It specified that both should be functioning.  
"I've been searching since we left Kokubunji's. This is the first thing that's come up.  
"They wanted to keep it under wraps for as long as possible." Zima drew out of Dita's system. "Thought it is awfully early still. I thought they would want to keep a mistake like this quiet for a while." "We're obviously considered a rather less than significant mistake," Dita said.  
Zima raised an eyebrow. "Do my ears deceive me? Was that levity?" "You tell me." He chuckled and pulled her close. "Doesn't matter. I love you." "Okay." "Dita…" "Right. Sorry. I love you, too." "That's more like it."  
  
"Florence, as I mentioned previously, is a former wok contact- a professional when it comes to keeping her mouth shut." Zima, Dita, Marie, and Kameko were in the car later that night. Kameko was giving them the run down of Phase Two. "The man I'm taking you to tonight is nothing of the sort. Don't worry, I have a plan, but it'd be best if you kept silent when at all possible. Here we are." They got out of the car and followed Kameko to a storefront. "THEO'S: PERSECOM CUSTOMIZERS" read the neon sign. If Dita had had a stomach, she would have felt as though a block of ice had appeared in it. She gritted her teeth and remained silent. iIf Kameko thinks it's necessary, I'll got through with it./i Dita realized with a slight jolt that she had come to trust the ex- CIA agent.  
The quartet walked inside. They were in a small reception area. The floor was tiled green; the walls were off-white with a few prints hanging on them. There was a high desk with a man standing behind it. He looked up when they entered. "Hello, may I help you?" "Maybe you can," Kameko said. "Is Craig around?" "I think so. Would you like me to go get him?" "Yes, please." The man stood up and walked down a short hallway. He appeared again a moment later, followed by a tall man with a short shock of black hair. "Kameko," the tall man said with a tight smile, "it's been a while." "It has. Is there any way we could talk to you for a few minutes?" Her eyes briefly shot to the other man. "Alone?" "Certainly. Fred, if you would?" Fred nodded and left. "What's going on?" He looked far more nervous than Florence had.  
"I have two new persecoms." Kameko waved a hand at Zima and Dita. "I got them second hand, and they need a touch up. Nothing very serious, and I'll pay whatever you want. Sound good so far? Great. So if that's easy, you should have no trouble keeping it off the books." Kameko slid a stack of folded bills across the counter.  
"No problem at all." Craig took the money and slid it into his pocket. "If you'd all follow me?" Craig led them into the back. The room they entered looked like a small, extremely high-tech beauty parlor. Craig sat Zima and Dita down in the two barbers chairs. There were mirrors on the wall in front of them; pictures cut from magazines were taped on the mirrors. "Any directions," Craig said, "or am I just supposed to have at?" "Like I said, nothing major," Kameko said. "Start with hair?" "Get rid of the rattails, certainly," Marie said.  
Kameko nodded, studying the pictures on the mirror. "And I think I like this color for him, and something like that for her?"  
  
When they left, both Zima and Dita were rattail-less. Zima's hair was no longer black but brown with a few natural looking blond highlights. He had a silver ring in his eyebrow. Dita's hair was a darker brown, and her ears had been pierced.  
Dita was thankful that now they wouldn't match their descriptions, but something was still bothering her.  
"Kameko," she said in the car, "it's not that I don't appreciate this, because I do, but can you really afford to bribe people for us?" Kameko sighed. "More explanations. I've always worked, first for the CIA, now writing, but I don't have to. My family owns a factory chain that's almost one hundred years old. I am financially set for life and then some. No expense like this is any trouble."  
  
So that's my chapter. I'm thinking of about four more before the end. I finally know what I'm going to do in the end, believe it or not. 


	8. 8 Allie

A/N: And here we are again. I got this up rather fast, relatively speaking. It's not very long, but I didn't have that much to say.  
  
Zima and Dita had decided to stay at Kameko's house alone again, still slightly fearful of being spotted. This time Kameko and Marie were at the airport, picking up Allie.  
Dita was lying down with her head at the foot of Zima's bed. She was staring at the painting that hung over it. In the classically toned room, the modern picture was a jarring focal point. It showed a girl, slightly from the side, sitting with her back to a corner, knees. The walls of whatever room she was in were dark gray and black. Her own dark clothes would have blended into them entirely if she hadn't been painted giving off a sort of white light glow. She was wearing a pair of slacks and a black leather jacket, buttoned up all the way so that only a small triangle of white shirt showed above. On her short hair was perched a black fedora, it's red feather the brightest part of the picture. One of her hands, wearing a black fingerless glove, rested on her knee, the other on a black guitar case beside her. The girl's face was pale and shadowed, but a small, mysterious smile played across it. Dita was still staring at the picture when Zima stopped in the doorway.  
"Did you know?" she asked him.  
"What, about Kameko being an heiress?" She saw him shrug out of the corner of her eye. "Hard to say. Florence wiped out so much, it's hard to tell what I did and didn't know. Whatever the case, it was news to me. I think I would have told you. The fact that I didn't makes me a little suspicious. I'm starting to think that 'Naito' isn't her real name." "Can't really hold it against her, can we? Given our situation." "Right." Zima came over and sat down on the bed next to Dita. He followed her gaze to the painting. "Wonder who that is." "Nancy, apparently. Look at the feather." The name was written in tiny black print along the red feather.  
"That's helpful. I want to know if she was a figment of the artist's imagination, or a model, or what." "She's my best friend- I painted this while we were still in high school." Zima and Dita turned their heads to see who had spoken. There was a willowy woman with long black hair and large green eyes standing in the doorway. She was wearing a short white skirt and a blue sweater. "She's a wonderful musician, and she was active in theatre as well, expressive, graceful, very fun subject. This is one of several paintings of her I've done." She smiled. "I'm Allie. You must be Zima and Dita. Kameko and Marie have told me everything." "Pleased to meet you," Zima said, standing up and walking over to Allie to shake her hand. Dita did the same. "How was your trip?" "All right, as they go. Family reunion in upstate New York, in the town I grew up in. Boring little place. I have to wonder sometimes how I lasted so long there." "Good thing I came along and rescued you." Kameko came up behind Marie. "I see you've met everyone. Well, you're bags are in our room. Why don't we all go upstairs? Allie, do you want a drink?" "Oh, very much. You know my family, they don't drink at all. A gin and tonic would be sublime."  
  
Allie was different from Kameko. Kameko was always so much in charge; she had a goal and worked towards it in the most efficient way possible. Allie was not quite so commanding. Kameko's humor was sarcasm and dry banter; Allie was funny in the shameless, daring way many artists are. That was at the heart of it- Allie was and artist, Kameko was still too close to her days as an agent to give herself over completely to an artist's life.  
Maybe that's why Minoru sent use here, Dita thought. He felt Kameko was unsatisfied without the intrigue. Dita liked this explanation, but she wasn't sure it was true.  
Dita noticed how much happier Kameko seemed to be with Allie around. Even Marie seemed to be doing better than usual. All three gears off their machine were in line again. They were like a modern family unit, one that had learned to live and work with each other perfectly.  
This did not mean that Zima and Dita were outsiders. They were accepted just as they had been all along, with few questions and no complaints. If Kameko, Marie, and Allie knew that the story of Zima and Dita's escape was all over the news, they remained quiet. The search for the missing persecoms continued, but there was no sign of it anywhere near their neighborhood.  
Dita, ever the pessimist, was sure it was coming. She knew that before long someone would come looking here. Kameko would hide them, and they might get away with it. If they were caught all hell would break loose, not only for the two persecoms but for Kameko and Allie as well. The contented life they had made for themselves here would be over, all thanks to Dita and Zima's selfishness. Dita had thrown herself on the mercies of these people, and they had endangered themselves to help her. She couldn't let anything happen to them.  
  
They were all asleep when she left. If Zima hadn't been recharging, he would have sensed her actions and stopped her. She had kissed his forehead once and slid out the door.  
Now Dita was walking down the icy sidewalk. If she had been human, her breath would have made puffs of smoke in the air. The cold didn't bother her the way it would have bothered a human. She still wore thick black pants, a heavy gray knit turtleneck, a black pea coat, and black woolen gloves. Anyone who wasn't dressed for the harsh weather would attract attention.  
Dita paused when she had been walking for about an hour. She knew the hotline number from the paper, she didn't need to memorize anything, she was a computer. It nearly danced in front of her eyes as she dialed it internally.  
"Hello," she said into the night air. "this is the line for the escaped persecoms?" She was silent while an affirmation sounded in her head. "This is Dita speaking. I'm calling to turn myself in."  
  
I think I'm going to throw out two more chapters before I call it a day with this one. I won't be doing a sequel, exactly, but I did plan on some short pieces that develop some minor characters more. Allie, Florence, especially Marie. I think I might write more of Chi into those, because you all apparently enjoy reading Chi the way I enjoy writing her- heartbroken and bitter. Hey, people change, and in the manga she is portrayed much like a human person. After what she's been through, we'd all be a little sadder but wiser. (Sandie breaks into the song from The Music Man, remembers that she didn't mention that in her disclaimer, fears a lawsuit, goes to sleep.) 


	9. 9 Dead End

A/N: Wow, Chapter Nine. Who thought I'd end up writing this many chapters? I grant you, they were short. However, I'm still slightly amazed. The only way I've had the dedication to finish this off is to go on a self-induced, week long internet fast. It's actually really nice, I find myself with extra time to do all sorts of things like writing and gasp homework. Dirty word. Still, I think a break from the information super highway can be rather refreshing, if it can be managed.  
  
"Hello, this is Dita, and I'm calling to turn myself in." He smiled out his windshield when he heard it. Actually, it was closer to a sneer. Marugo was more of the sneering type.  
"Seriously?" he said into his cell phone. "No kidding? If this is a prank call…" "No, it's not," she said, sounding firm.  
"How do I know?" He didn't, of course. He couldn't have the call traced, it was too dangerous He had tapped the hotline and rerouted all calls to this outdated phone. Marugo had no proof that he was talking to one of the missing persecoms.  
"What have you got to loose if I'm lying?" she said. Marugo 's sneer widened. Sharp, this one.  
"All right. I'll get your location and upload you the information about where you should go." "Fine." Marugo did some quick work with the cell, and sent the coordinates and description of a meeting place to Dita. "One more thing," she said.  
"What's that?" "Zima, the other persecom. He was destroyed a week ago in a car accident. Nothing survived. He's no longer a danger." "Oh- oh, all right. See you there." He hung up.  
Marugo stared out the window of his car for a moment, trying to decide if this was a good idea or not, before calling his partner.  
"Jo? I just got the call. You know what to do. I'll be there." Marugo started the car, smiling to himself. The girl had had a point- what did they have to loose?  
  
Marie pulled out of her recharge unexpectedly. What the hell was that? The sudden jolt of consciousness, hours before she had been expecting it, surprised her. Marie lay her head back down on her cot. "Run full system check." She felt the checker run through her computer mind. There, there was the problem. A minor virus. Nothing she couldn't handle. There. The rebellious file was deleted. Still, she felt uneasy.  
Marie got up off of the cot and pulled on the robe that hung off of a hook on the wall. She left her small room and began to prowl the second floor. She stopped outside of Kameko and Allie's room- both were asleep, their breathing steady. Satisfied on that count, Marie headed downstairs. Nothing their either.  
She walked down the stairs to the basement and turned to the closed door of Zima and Dita's room. Marie placed her hand on the knob and turned softly. She looked inside. There was something wrong. She realized what it was in a moment. There was only one figure on the bed, Zima.  
Dita was gone.  
"Damn."  
  
Dita paused on the steps of the church. Not many things made her uncomfortable. She liked to pretend that nothing did. But there were a few. Churches were one of them.  
Dita thought the idea of a religion was silly, nothing but a bunch of fairy stories people told to make themselves feel better or more important. But if there was any truth to it, Dita knew she was not the product of any god. She was the product of humans playing God, plain and simple. On the rare occasion that she stepped into a house of worship, Dita felt as though this fact was being shouted from the rafters.  
Dita pulled off one of her gloves. She placed her palm on the glass window of the church door. Her heat sensors told her it was extremely cold, but she didn't feel cold the way a human would. The sensation was not unpleasant. Dita grabbed the door handle, pulled it open, and stepped inside.  
Dita walked slowly down the center aisle of the church. The church was empty. That was all right. Someone would be here before long.  
Sure enough, she soon heard a door slam from the other end of the church, and saw someone walk inside. As the person walked closer, Dita saw that he was short and heavy set and his pale brown hair was receding quickly from his forehead. She noted that he wasn't dressed to the nines, as most government workers tended to be. Trying not to attract attention, I suppose. The faded blue jeans and threadbare jacket did the job.  
The man approached her at last. "Dita, right?" he said.  
Dita nodded. "That's me." He cocked his head to the side for a moment. "What happened to your hair?" "I dyed it so I wouldn't match the description." He apparently decided that she passed the test, and said "Come with me. There's a car out back, if you'll just follow me." Dita did as he asked, her mind clicking. _I can understand the clothes. But why is he so informal? And why is he alone? Shouldn't there be a couple of them here to restrain me if I decide to fight? I could just make a run for it at any time, and he doesn't look like he could do a whole bunch about it. At least they haven't asked about Zima yet; they seem to have bought my story._  
But before Dita could come to any conclusions, they had reached the car. A man was hanging out of the driver's side window. "This her?" he said, jerking his head in Dita's direction.  
"So she says," the man with Dita replied.  
"Nice to meet you, Dita," the driver said, his voice almost sarcastic. His clothes were of no better quality, and the car was a wreck. "I'm Marugo, this is my partner Jo. Jo, d' ya mind? It's popped." He gestured to the back of the car.  
"Right. Come back here." Dita followed Jo. He opened the trunk. "You'll ride back here." "What?" Dita's suspicions were becoming worse. "Why?" "We don't want to attract attention." "You don't look like a government car at all, and no one will recognize-" Before she could finish, Jo, showing an unexpected amount of strength, suddenly shoved her backwards into the open trunk and slammed it shut. She heard Marugo's voice from the front seat. "Watch the merchandise there. That 'com kicks it, and we're out of business for the reward money." "She was suspicious. We would have been out of business if she decided to beat it, too. We don't even know it's the right 'com." "Well, if it's a mistake, I doubt they'll blame us. Let's get going." Dita heard a door slam and the engine start. She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. These weren't government workers, they were just a couple of con artists after the reward money. _Doesn't matter_, she thought. _I'll end up in the same place both ways. At least they haven't got Zima. Unless they decide to hack my system some way I don't know about and find out where Zima is so they can bring him in too… _Barely realizing it, Dita began to memorize the turns the car took.  
  
"Where is she?" Zima said, the moment he realized that he and Marie were the only two in the room.  
"I haven't got any idea. She's not in the house." "What are you talking about? How can she have left? Where the hell- where would she go?" "I was hoping you'd have an idea." Zima swore and jumped out of bed. "I obviously have an idea, but it doesn't happen to be a possibility I'd like to explore." He began pacing angrily around the small space.  
"What is it, then?" Zima scowled. "She turned herself in. She would have done it, on the condition that they wouldn't take me as well." "Oh." It made sense to Marie.  
Zima swore again. "Did you tell Kameko?" "No. I woke you first." "Go get her. She's all tangled up in this now, she might as well be up. I'll be in the kitchen." A few minutes later, Marie led a grave-faced, bath-robed Kameko into the kitchen. Zima was sitting on a stool, his head bowed, eyes closed, hands clasped, his forehead resting on his two extended index fingers.  
"Zima?" Kameko tried.  
"What?" he snapped.  
"Do you really think she's turned herself in?" "I'm not seeing very many other possibilities, are you?" "Zima, we're trying to help." Kameko sat down on one of the stools. "We have to do something, but I have no idea where to start…" "How about the National Technological Development Headquarters?" Zima said, not moving.  
"Why there?" Marie asked.  
Zima pulled his head up, snapping his eyes open. "Because that's where the vehicle she's in is headed. I'm connected to her mind still; I know exactly what's going on."  
  
After slightly over an hour of motion, the car stopped. Dita heard doors slam, and she was suddenly being yanked out of the car by Marugo and Jo. She didn't struggle, just took in her surroundings. They were in the parking lot of the National Technological Development Headquarters. It was only seven in the morning, but there were already lights on inside. Dita did nothing but hope they wouldn't be able to use her to trace Zima.  
As Jo and Marugo led her towards the front entrance, Dita saw something out of the corner of her eye. No, it couldn't be… they wouldn't dare… how would they know… It was Kameko's car in the parking lot of the NTDH. Dita was seized with fear- had Zima come after her? That was the worst thing that could happen.  
Sure enough, the doors opened, and out stepped Zima, Kameko, and Marie. Dita tried to keep her cool, it wouldn't do to alert her captors to Zima's presence. There was no way to warn them.  
Jo, Marugo, and Dita were now standing in front of the door. Their presence was detected by a hidden camera, and a voice came through an intercom to the side of the door. "National Technological Development Headquarters. State your name and business please." "Jiro Marugo and Ion Jo," Marugo said into the intercom. "We've found one of the missing persecoms and we're here to turn her in.  
The voice on the intercom became excited. "Really? One moment, just one moment please." A few minutes later, a the door slid open automatically to reveal three men. The one in the center was wearing a white lab coat. The two behind him were large and menacing, probably security staff.  
"That's her," the man in the white coat said. "Gentlemen, if you'd be so kind as to follow me?" Marugo, Jo, and Dita went through the door. Dita was handed over to one of the guards. _Please, Zima, be gone, please understand, there's no point to this, please!_ In flagrant disregard of this fraught request, Zima was suddenly at her shoulder. "Hello," he said to the man in the white coat. "Remember me? I'm Zima." The man in the white coat looked perplexed but happy. He motioned to the other guard. "Take this one, and all of you, follow me." The door slid shut behind them, and they began to walk down the corridor. The man in the white coat was leading, the two guards along with Dita and Zima followed behind, and Marugo and Jo brought up the rear.  
"What are you thinking?" Dita hissed at Zima.  
"I could ask the same of you." His apathetic tone made her angry. "I was trying to help you. I was going to go with them on condition that they didn't take you." "That was stupid. I found you because we're linked. They would have found me anyway." "I wasn't going to give up that easy. Why did you have to come here?" Zima shook his head, smiling as though she were an upset child. "What if I hadn't?" he said cryptically.  
The man in the white lab coat had ignored this entire exchange. He turned down a corridor and stopped in front of a pair of double doors. "Well, here we are," he said. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"  
  
A/N: Well, damn. That'll ruin you're whole day.


	10. 10 Understanding

A/N: I was thinking over the title of the fanfic, Sands of Time. I thought to myself, -You know, in the long run, it didn't have anything to do with the actual plot.- This entire thing sprung from an unhealthy obsession with Zima and Dita, a desire to write a fic and lots of free time, and the idea of the funeral scene. I was really into the funeral scene. The title was tied into that, how things just keep moving and changing. Hideki dies, Chi's life changes. Zima and Dita are going to be replaced because of progress, their life changes. Kameko's life was constantly changing, and she was up for the adventure. Poor Allie didn't ask for any of this, but her world shifted anyway. It doesn't matter if you're a normal human or an semi-immortal persecom, change is inevitable. So maybe the title isn't so disconnected after all.  
  
Other note- a funeral scene and an interest in two characters isn't a bad start for a story. I was once inspired into 175 pages by Nickelodeon and Silly Putty. I got 3 pages out of an offhand conversation in the middle of a scene in a musical. I pulled an entire sub-plot out of my friend's coat. So this isn't quite so strange for me.  
  
When the doors closed behind Zima and Dita, Marie made to run after them. Kameko reached out and grabbed her arm, gently holding her back.  
"What?" Marie said, straining against Kameko. "We have to go and help them!" "There's nothing we can do," Kameko said, her voice neutral.  
"What do you mean? There has to be something." She gave another futile tug.  
"We wouldn't be allowed into the building," Kameko said, her grasp still unrelenting. "It's top security. Even if we got in, what would we do?" Marie racked her brain and came up with nothing. "You must have some sort of plan," she said to Kameko.  
"I do have a plan," Kameko said, and relief flooded through Marie. Dita and Zima were going to be okay.  
The feeling of relief disappeared a moment later when Kameko spoke again. "We're going to go home and tell Allie what's happened. She'll want to know. We need to call Minoru as well." "That's it?" Marie asked. "We're just going to let them go like that?" "Yes. I'm going to let go of your arm, don't run." Marie went cold. Kameko rarely issued orders like this one, but Marie's programming left her powerless to disobey. Kameko released her and said, "Now get in the car." Marie did as she was told.  
After they had been driving for a few minutes, Kameko said to Marie, "You know, it's going to be easier this way." Marie exploded again. "What do you mean? Now that we don't have to hide them anymore? Now that we're alone again?" "You know I care about them too, but this is the only choice we have left. It's going to be easier this way," she repeated.

A groggy and distraught Allie was pacing the kitchen when they returned. "Where were you?" she said. "You just left, no note or anything!" "You tell her, Marie," Kameko said, and then disappeared up the stairs.  
Marie told Allie the story, from her discovery of Dita's disappearance to Kameko's willingness to give in to failure. "And the worst part was, she kept saying 'it's going to be easier this way,' like keeping them here was just an inconvenience to her." "Oh, honey," Allie said, wrapping an arm around Marie's shoulders. "It's not that bad. I'm sure Kameko has her reasons." "I'd like to hear them sometime soon," Marie said.  
At that moment, Kameko bounded into the room, a smile on her face. "He said he'd do it! He said he'd do it!" "Who?" Allie asked.  
Marie asked, "Do what?" "Minoru, and you'll see!" She giggled in what Marie thought was an obscene manner, considering the situation, and then called, "Follow me!" and vanished through the cellar door.  
Marie looked at Allie, who shrugged. "Might as well." They both followed Kameko downstairs and into what had been Zima and Dita's room. _What had once been,_ Marie thought. _How quickly we resort to the past tense._  
Kameko was attempting to remove the portrait of Nancy from the wall. Obviously fearing for the well-being of the painting, Allie rushed to help her. They managed to settle it face down on the bed. When it lay there, Kameko began to run her fingers along the back of the frame. "They were somewhere around here…" she muttered. "Ah- ha!" Kameko whirled around to face Marie and Allie. In one upraised hand, she held two tiny disks.  
Marie couldn't dare to hope. She heard Allie gasp. "Are those-" "Dita and Zima's entire hard drives," Kameko said. "I had Florence make them, just in case. I've talked to Minoru. He'll make them new bodies, and they can just be registered under my name as custom jobs. Since the original Dita and Zima are now in the hands of the government, they won't be looking for two escaped 'coms anymore. They have the 'malfunctioning persecoms' back in their control, and we have Dita and Zima back. See why I said this would be easier?" "Yes," Marie said, "I understand now."  
  
A/N: Phew. I had me going for a minute there. 


	11. 11 Future

A/N: Well, I was going to just leave it at ten chapters, but all you crazy kids out there seem not to have felt my finality in the last chapter. I had to reread the entire thing again as well as the 8th book to get myself back into the mood, it's been so long since I've written anything. As one would expect, I've now fallen back in love with all the characters and want to write some one-shots about them. But after this chapter, uSands of Time/u will be officially shelved. Thanks for the laughs and catch you on the flipside. 

At first it was a slow pulse of consciousness, sliding in one moment and back to complete blackness the next. The pulses slowly grew closer together, until there was just one steady bright light in the middle of the blackness. A humming- he could hear again. Sensation crept over the rest of his face, excruciatingly slow. That was fine, Zima was patient. Eventually it spread down, he could feel his neck, his torso, his arms… so it went, for how long he could not yet guess.

There. There it was. His feet, he could feel his feet. Maybe… his eyelid snapped open on command. Perfect. There was a white ceiling above him. Was it the same white ceiling he'd seen the moment that he'd seen at the NTDH, right as the last of his files were destroyed or transferred? Hopefully not. That would be far too cruel, to tell him it was all over just to wake him up again.

Zima realize he wasn't strapped to the table as he had remembered. Where was he? _Only one way to find out,_ Zima told himself. With a heroic effort- he was stiff, damn it all, so stiff, he realized he hadn't even known what stiff really meant until today- he sat up. Relief so intense he hadn't felt the like of it in thirty years washed over him. He was in Minoru's workroom.

He swung his legs around and slowly stood. The stiffness ebbed away. He was naked, but that was no surprise, as he had been in his last waking memories as well. He ran a hand over his face- the eyebrow ring was gone, but there was no hole where it had been. Turning, he saw a mirror in the wall. His hair was no longer the light brown he'd grown used to, but it's original jet black. Groping at the back of his neck, he realized that his rattail had reappeared as well.

The door opened behind him, and Zima whirled around. There stood Marie, who did a slight double take at his lack of clothing.

"Well, hel-lo," she said, giving him a once over.

Zima tried to hiss "Do you _mind_?" but it came out all wrong because he was smiling.

"I don't mind in the least. I'm glad you're up."

"What's going on? Why am I at Minoru's? Wasn't I shut down?"

"You were shut down," Marie said. "but when Florence re-hauled you that time, Kameko suggested she made us copies of your hard drive. She didn't tell me or Allie about this beforehand- gave us a scare." Marie smiled. "When we realized that we had lost you, Kameko brought those copies to Minoru. That was about two months ago. Him and some of his geeky computer buddies made you and Dita new bodies."

"Dita?" Zima asked. "Where is she?"

"Right here." Dita walked around the corner to stand next to Marie. "I've been working for a while- I guess there's more of you to re-download."

"My god, Dita-" Zima crossed the room to grab her and pull her against his chest. "Dita. You're all right."

"Until you crush me, I'll be fine."

"I thought you were gone. I thought I'd lost you for good this time."

"You came after me."

"What else was I supposed to do?" He pushed her back so he could look at her.

She shook her head. "I should have know. Stupid, pigheaded 'com that you are, you couldn't let things be, just this once."

"Whenever you're in danger, that is the absolute last time I'm going to let things be."

"I'm the firewall. Who's protecting who here?"

"I love you. A lot." Zima said, in what even he had to admit was a fairly lame response.

"Ahem." Marie was still there. "You two can get on with whatever needs getting on with, I'll just leave these here." She dropped a pile of clothes on the table. "Come downstairs. Whole family's waiting for you." She raised and eyebrow and shrugged, then disappeared.

Now alone, Zima bent his head to kiss Dita. It was a strange sensation, a new one, first times all over again. When they pulled apart, Zima started to get dressed. Dita watched him, looking pensive.

"What the matter, love?"

"Did Marie really just say 'family?'"

Zima pulled on a shirt, then looked at Dita. "I suppose she did. Why, do you have a better word for it?"

Dita struggled for a moment. "I guess not."

When they descended, they found Marie, Kameko, Allie, Minoru, and Yuzuki waiting for them in the living room.

"Hello, there," Minoru said. "How are you feeling?"

"A little strange, but it's not unpleasant," Zima said. "It's a relief to be feeling anything."

"I can imagine," Minoru agreed.

"Thank you, Minoru, for everything that you've done," Zima said. "Kameko- everyone. Thank you."

"Thank you," Dita echoed quietly.

"Of course," Minoru said. "We wouldn't have done anything less."

"I take it you'll be staying with us for good now?" Allie asked. "No more hiding or worries about putting us in danger?"

"If you'll take us, we'd love to," Zima said.

"Don't even ask," Kameko said. "Of course you're welcome."

Marie, no longer able to contain it, flung herself forward and pulled Zima and Dita into an embrace. "What is wrong with you all?" she said around a surprised Zima and an embarrassed looking Dita. "Why is everyone being so damned iformal/i? They're back!"

Zima gave Dita a questioning look. Surprising everyone, she smiled and said, "We missed you too, Marie. We missed all of you."

FIN


End file.
